Some people occupy leadership positions without actually leading. Others — both leaders and the led — don't understand leadership's true purpose. And some who should be leading are, instead, impeding progress. The post Beyond titles: The true mandate of leadership appeared first on newsday .
OFFICES are occupied by people who do not know why they hold those positions. Churches languish under poor leadership. Countries endure leaders unsure of where they are taking them. Leaders are more than managers; managers impact, influence, and transform; leaders must lead.
Some people occupy leadership positions without actually leading. Others — both leaders and the led — don’t understand leadership’s true purpose. And some who should be leading are, instead, impeding progress.
Are you clear about leadership? What is it? What traits define great leadership? How do leaders respond in a crisis? What is the true essence of a leader?
Using the acronym “clarity”, I explain what a leader must do to fulfill their mandate.
Communication
Great leaders understand they will not win alone — they win with people. As such, they communicate with clarity what they want to accomplish and who they need to accomplish it.
Communication takes many forms. First, you communicate through your true being — your unspoken word communicates your attitude. Gravitas speaks before the leader speaks; everyone carries an aura that precedes and follows them.
The second form is overt — spoken or written. Communication defines leadership and guides the path that must be taken. It should not flow only from the top; it must be an exchange of information, ideas, and the best way forward.
As a leader, when did you last listen to those under you for an idea?
Learning agility
The leader knows he does not know it all; as such, he is ever learning, ever searching for clear meaning. The moment a leader stops learning from others, he usually detours into authoritarianism.
A leader also learns about people. An MBA is never enough — leaders must develop the soft skills that nudge people to do more. My research on bank executives found that emotional intelligence is fast becoming the crux of great leadership, more so than IQ. This takes ongoing learning — unraveling people’s personalities and what moves them.
Action
We usually judge people not by what they believe, but by how they behave. Action — behavior — is an expression of belief systems: thought patterns, or paradigms. Great leaders are known by their fruits, and those fruits can be measured using tools such as the balanced scorecard and key performance indicators, among others.
Responsible
A true leader is unsettled by situations that need solutions. The moment you feel troubled by problems around you, pause and think. Most people, when that urge strikes, want to blame someone. It’s time you took responsibility and joined those who bring solutions — never the gang of blamers. Our streets, communities, and cities have a plethora of problems, and it will take responsible leaders who think and create solutions to fix them.
Inspiration
Leaders with clarity feel deep conviction about what they want to fulfill. Inspiration is what makes people buy in. As the saying often attributed to John Quincy Adams goes: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” Leaders must inspire change and motivate people to see beyond their own lifetime.
Temerity
An inspired leader has temerity — great confidence or boldness. People are ready to follow a leader who has confidence in the future. Unsure of what lies ahead, they are looking for a bold Moses who will say, “Let’s cross the Red Sea; a better promise awaits.” They are looking for a dedicated Nehemiah who will say, “Let’s build this city, for the next generation’s benefit.”
Your purpose
Your purpose as a leader is to take people beyond an ordinary dream. In a nutshell, leadership is the influence, motivation, and drive to unlock individual latent abilities, improve one’s surroundings, fulfil obligations and purpose, and help other people live their best lives. It is being active and impactful at the forefront of development — individually, intellectually, ideologically, and institutionally realised — development that may transcend the leader’s own lifespan.
True leadership offers hope, help, insight, foresight, and intuition through pioneering, modelling, mentoring, modifying, monitoring, motivating, mind development, and influencing.
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